El barco no espera [The Ship Waits for No One] is a video installation based on three menus from the Wilhelm Gustloff, a cruise ship built in 1936 for the Kraft durch Freude¹ fleet. The title is a translation of the German phrase “Das Schiff wartet nicht”, which warned travellers that the vessel would not hesitate to leave without them if they were not on the dock at the designated time. 

These particular menus are from 1939, the same year in which the Wilhelm Gustloff was transformed from a leisure vessel to a hospital ship after World War II broke out, and one year before its conversion into a warship. The video projected onto a rectangular table was shot in the portrait gallery of the Academia de España en Roma [Academy of Spain in Rome] and is a record of the act of consuming each of the dishes that were served on those cruises. The soundtrack created by Javi Álvarez evokes different moods that are reflected on the menus, such as “cheerful morning music”. The times of meals and outings are essential for setting the pace and tone of the voyage, in this case a markedly military tempo to which everyone must march without missing a beat.

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¹ “Strength through Joy”, an indoctrination programme of the Nazi party’s German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF) that offered recreational and leisure activities for the working class.